A Blissful Calm After the Storm
by AberrantScript
Summary: Leni and Lana get into a fight over the tool set, and make up afterwards.


Disclaimer: _The Loud House_ Copyright Nickelodeon (2018)

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A BLISSFUL CALM AFTER THE STORM

Lana sat under the backyard tree with her knees huddled to her chin, her big red cap hanging loosely over one side of her head, and wet tears falling down her cheeks.

Leni was standing on the porch, looking at her sister. Her eyes turned to the ground and she sighed. Her gaze turned off toward the shed, and she crossed her arms over her chest, trembling.

The two sisters just had an argument over some hand tools in the old building.

Lana really needed them to repair a hole in the wall separating her bedroom from Lynn and Lucy's; Lola, in one of her temperamental fits, had drove her battery-powered car straight through it in rage.

No one fully understood how she managed to get it in the second floor bedroom without anyone noticing.

They were all too scared to ask.

Lori's eighteenth birthday was coming up, though, and Leni had really needed those same tools to make a bench to go out back, under the shade of their tree.

Leni planned to engrave her and Lori's name in it inside a heart; so even if the sisters ever got separated, they'd still remain close because of that gift.

But, when she'd tried to get the tools from the shed, a sneaky little grease monkey had snatched them right out from under her!

She'd tried to impress on Lana how badly she needed the tool set.

After all, they only had the one! And it wouldn't take Leni more than a few hours to make it.

The girl had made an entire bedframe from scratch so quickly no one had even noticed until she was sculpting the finishing details in it!

But, the little red-capped monkey stuck her tongue out and ran off.

And, Leni knew it was wrong of her, but… she only saw Lana taking away her gift for Lori. She saw the girl stealing her chance to… to give her older sister her love.

She didn't want to lose Lori. She wanted them to stay together forever.

B-but, Lana… she took away Leni's ability to do that!

She felt helpless. She felt lost.

The blonde girl began crying, and then she grit her teeth.

"Lana! Stop!" she remembered yelling.

But the little blonde chipmunk scurried even faster.

And something inside the older girl snapped as she took off running.

Lana barely had a chance to turn her head around when she suddenly yelped.

Leni's hand wrapped around her sister's forearm, squeezing her tighter than she'd ever done to a sibling before.

The six-year-old girl dropped the tool set and tried to yank her arm away; flopping around like a fish out of water.

Leni bared her teeth; them practically grinding as she seethed in hurt and anger. Her eyes were so wet she could barely make out anything but the distinctive blue, red, and yellow in her young sister's overall color scheme.

"Ow, stop! You're hurting me!"

Leni didn't let up; even as her lips trembled and her body shook for breath. Her whole mind collapsing as her fear… her fear of losing Lori… her fear of Lori leaving her behind… reared its ugly head so hard…

"I need them more, Lana!" she yelled; a small part of her mind hidden behind the storm of her emotions crying in shock at how loud she actually spoke to her sister.

Lana bared her teeth as she put her hand on her sister's wrist and began trying to yank her grip off her forearm.

"No! I have to fix our bedroom!" the little girl yelled back.

Leni subconsciously flexed her hand just a little harder; she didn't hear her young sister gasp in pain.

"Dammit, Lana, listen to you sister!"

The young girl shivered at how authoritarian, how Lori-like the ditzy blonde sounded…

And something inside the little grease monkey snapped, too.

"I said no!"

Before Leni could retaliate, Lana leaned forward and sunk her teeth into her sister's hand.

The older sister let go and jerked her hand back, feeling her skin tear as the gap in Lana's teeth caught her flesh and scratched her.

The sixteen-year-old pulled her hand to her chest, cradling the hand as a small drop of blood pooled in the new wound.

Lana fell down to the ground, landing on her butt, when Leni's strong grip let up. She immediately snatched up the tool set and started to run off.

But, then, she heard Leni start to cry, and she stopped.

Her face was still glaring as she turned back to her sister, but her heart refused to let her keep the tools any longer.

The little girl dumped them on the ground and ran behind the tree. Sitting down and covering her head with her arms.

Leni eventually hobbled over to the porch and sat on the bottom step; still sniffling and holding her hand.

And so, the two had been in an emotional stalemate for half an hour. Both girls shook as they tried to understand what went wrong; why the other couldn't see her point of view.

Charles walked over to Lana and laid his head on her feet, and the girl decided to finally let someone comfort her.

Leni felt a little smile creep onto her cheeks as Lana opened up her legs and arms and hugged her canine friend tightly.

But then, the blonde girl looked down at the grass and frowned.

She sniffled again… and an image of Lori getting into a car to go off to some far away college sprung up into her mind; a cold chill settled in her heart… but she tried to push it far away.

Lana cradled her puppy tighter to her chest as she dreaded having to go up to her bedroom and fix her twin's mistakes. She loved her sister like she loved herself, but the humiliation of having to put a bandage on a problem than ran much deeper than anyone else knew… it made her cranky and upset.

She stiffened when she heard footsteps.

"Lana?" Leni called.

The little girl turned her head away and hardened her heart.

"Go away!"

Charles looked up at the six-year-old with pleading eyes, but even he couldn't persuade her to forgive her sister… or admit her own faults in the argument.

The teenage girl knelt down beside her sister anyway, keeping her hands on her thighs.

"How is your arm?"

Leni's smooth, motherly voice flowed over the little monkey, but she still didn't want to talk. So she opted for a classic sibling tactic.

"It hurts a whole lot, thanks to you."

Leni looked down at her hands, feeling her eyes heat up. She pushed away the urge to cry and focused instead on her sister.

"I'm sorry for… for hurting you, for snapping like that."

Leni reached her hand out and, like a butterfly landing on a flower, she placed it on her sister's hurt arm.

The poor thing's skin had turned pink; the sight filled the older girl with much regret and remorse.

"I'm so, so sorry," the teen spoke in a whisper full of sadness and sincerity.

Lana finally turned her head; her face was a little afraid but… also endeared to her sister.

She watched as the teen girl brought her forearm up to her lips, cradling the limb in both of her hands like it was a precious talisman.

And Leni pressed her soft lips to the sore skin; just as their mother had done for her on countless times when she was little and had gotten hurt.

With each kiss, Leni whispered in a husky breath.

"I'm sorry, Lana."

"I love you, honey."

"Please, forgive me."

Lana's heart warmed as she felt Leni's tears fall upon her pink skin, as the older girl's lips did their best to take away her pain and show her love and attention.

The little girl put her hand on her sister's shoulder.

Leni paused.

Lana opened her lips, but they started trembling as her eyes filled with heated emotion.

The little ball of six-year-old girl jumped into Leni's chest, almost knocking her to the ground. She squeezed her older sister in a tight hug as she nuzzled her teary face in her neck.

"L-Leni, I-I'm sorry, too! I didn't mean to bite you!"

The motherly teen wrapped her arms around the crying girl; one hand on her back and one cradling her head.

She hummed as she listened to her sister apologize and let out her pain and sadness in wet, hot tears.

Soon, she began stroking the girl's back; humming to her and trying to calm her down.

"It's ok, Lana. I forgive you."

The bawling sister leaned back to look Leni in the eyes. She gave the older blonde a timid smile.

"I-I forgive you, too."

Leni hummed as she adjusted herself, lying down and letting her sister rest her head on her breast.

The two girls laid together in the grass, looking up at the tree.

Both were thinking about how calm and peaceful things felt after the storms in their hearts had drifted away to a gentle rain.

They couldn't do much to fix the sadness and fears inside the other's chest, but they continued hugging anyway.

"I love you, Lana," the older girl kissed her sister's cheek.

Lana moved to kiss her ditzy sister at the corner of her mouth; planting one wet and teary.

"I love you, too, Leni."

The wind ruffled the tree's leaves and a little twig snapped and fluttered down to them.

The little stem landed on Lana's stomach. She picked it up and showed it to her sister.

Two green, youthful leaves connected at their very roots.

Leni kissed her sister again, squeezing her even tighter.

Lana sighed as she enjoyed her sister's pillowy embrace and generous warmth.

Soon, they'd have to get up and face their worries, but at least in that moment they could share a common understanding and emotions.

A blissful calm after the storm.


End file.
